Avinash Azad
JAMMU, Sept 19: It might sound strange but it is true that 'ineligible' doctors at Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) Jammu are conducting chemotherapy.
According to experts, chemotherapy is the use of medication (chemicals) to treat disease. More specifically, chemotherapy (chemo) typically refers to the destruction of cancer cells. However, chemotherapy may also include the use of antibiotics or other medications to treat any illness or infection.
They claimed that a doctor having degree of DM Medical Oncologist is eligible to conduct the therapy. "Presently, the Radio-Therapy of department of GMCH has not a single Medical Oncologist to perform the chemotherapy. Doctors who have MD Radio-Therapy degrees are conducting the Job", sources said, adding that it was quite astonishing.
"It is a criminal act, and majority people, who are unaware about it, are being exploited. One should know about the procedure of therapy as well as eligibility to perform it", sources said, explaining, when our body cells are damaged or die we produce new ones to replace them through chemotherapy.
They said that few years back two senior doctors having DM Medical Oncology joined and left the job. "Dr Rajiv Gupta and Dr Ashok Vaid both having degree in DM Medical Oncology joined Radio-Therapy department of GMCH, but they were forced to leave the job", sources claimed, adding that presently Dr Ashok is heading oncology department of Medanta Medicity and Dr Rajiv is also working in reputed hospital of country.
"This is done in an orderly way, in a balanced way. Cancer cells do not have that orderly capacity, their reproduction (division and growth) is out of control, more and more of them are produced and they start to occupy more and more space, until eventually they push out space occupied by useful cells", sources described, adding that chemotherapy drugs interfere with a cancer cell's ability to divide and reproduce.
They said that chemo drugs might be applied into the bloodstream to attack cancer cells throughout the body, or it could be delivered directly to specific cancer sites.
Principal GMCH, Dr Ghynsham Dev Gupta admitted that for Chemotherapy, Medical Oncologist is required. "There is not a single medical oncologist in the hospital", he said, adding that MD Radio-Therapy could conduct chemotherapy and they have been conducting it on regularly. |
